Leaving the Bird's Nest
by AdvancedAlto
Summary: Ancienverse oneshot. Ash knew he needed to figure things out to truly succeed. But, under Kahili's wings he trains to become a stronger trainer. He soon starts realize what a terror his teacher is, making him wonder if he made the right choice. And when the time comes, is he ready to leave the bird's nest?


**Welcome people, to ' _Leaving the Bird's Nest_ '. This oneshot is an Ancienverse oneshot, so characters, what they do and how they're presented is based upon the Alola Trilogy. It covers the one month period Ash spent training with Kahili between the end of ' _Love in the Time of Trials_ ' and Chapter 3 of ' _Love in the Time of Tenacity'_. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do in no way own anything related to Pokemon, and Ancienverse belongs to Epicocity.**

* * *

"Wake up."

Ash didn't know what time it was, except that it was far too early to even entertain the idea of getting up. To show his displeasure at being woken up, he started to grumble, before ignoring the nuisance that was trying to get him up.

"You wanted to train, right? Your training starts now." Ash liked training as much as the next guy, but couldn't Kahili wait a few hours? And now she was prodding him with something hard as well.

"Give me a few more hours." he mumbled annoyed, hoping she would get the message.

"At least roll over onto your side, would you?" Kahili practically demanded, continuing to prod him. "I wanted to give you a head start, but no, you didn't want it."

"A head start to what?" Ash asked, trying to focus a little more. Something about Kahili's tone had him worried.

"To this," she answered, mirth in her voice, her prodding finally stopping. "Fore!"

His eyes shot wide open, barely catching the golf club's descent towards his stomach.

"Ooof!" the breath he had been taking was forced out of him, pain wracking his stomach as he was sent flying by the force of Kahili's swing. It didn't take long before he hit the ground, landing painfully on his shoulder.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried out, quickly hurrying to his side as Kahili twirled her golf club while slowly approaching them. She came to a stop in front of them, planting the golf club on the ground and leaning on it.

"I'd start running if I were you, unless you fancy your chances currently," Kahili noted, tilting her head and watching him stand up. "C'mon Ash, training has barely started and I don't wanna regret my choice of training you already."

He knew she was taunting him, with her shit eating grin just being another tell. It didn't take much thinking on his part to know that running was currently his best option. About to start running, a quick glance back at Kahili left him baffled. She was placing a golf ball on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Ash had expected her to simply wait for him to run, but she seemingly had different plans.

"I'm gonna practice some swings while you're running," she responded, hitting the golf ball as she spoke. A new golf ball was immediately placed down. "Don't think I won't find you. I'm just giving you a chance to make this remotely challenging for me."

Deciding to take the chance he was given, he started running, Pikachu running alongside him. A whistling reached his ears, followed by a golf ball hitting the ground with a thud.

"Shit!" Ash cursed, increasing his pace. He had no plans of getting hit by one of those.

"I missed that one on purpose!" Kahili shouted from behind him, laughing as he tried to run even faster. "You can't run from me, Ash!"

At this point, he could definitely believe her. Ash didn't know what he had gotten himself into.

* * *

Ash took a deep breath as he sat down. It had been a few days now since his training with Kahili had started, and running from her had been a big part of it. Any time Kahili had found him, they had fought alongside their Pokemon. Sometimes he got the jump on Kahili, sometimes she got the jump on him. If he had learnt one thing, it was that her golf club hurt. A lot. The bruises on his body were proof of that. At least she was fair enough to let him have some breaks for eating, but as soon as they were done, it was back to running for him again. There were times where he just got practice with his Pokemon, trying to teach them new moves and generally just improve.

"This training is brutal…" Ash sighed out, letting himself fall on his back. He winced as pain shot through his body. He really hoped this part of the training would end soon enough. "If we're lucky, she won't find us for a while. Preferably a very long while."

"Pika." his partner clearly agreed, since he hadn't been spared either, having been on the receiving end of Kahili's Pokemon, alongside the rest of the team.

He wondered how everyone else was doing. All of them were trying to accomplish their own tasks, all in order to increase their chances of success once they all gathered on Poni Island. His musings were interrupted by a golf ball rolling along the ground.

"You gotta be kidding me," Ash had prayed that he would have had more time to rest, but that wasn't to be it seemed like. He stood up. "Pikachu, prepare yourself."

His partner's cheeks sparked, in case Kahili decided to send Toucannon at them. That was when Kahili appeared in the cave entrance.

"Here's Kahili!" she called out, resting her golf club on her shoulder, wearing a grin Ash didn't like at all. Toucannon stood at her side. "You didn't think you could hide from me, could you?"

He grabbed a pokeball from his belt, holding onto it tightly as he watched Kahili for any movement. The distance between them gave him a small advantage. She moved slightly forward.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack on Kahili! Lycanroc, Accelrock on Toucannon!" he shouted, throwing her pokeball the moment he rushed at the duo blocking his escape route. His Pokemon slammed into their respective targets, with Kahili falling over as she clutched her stomach. It gave him the opening he needed to escape. He thought he heard her mutter something about a 'stupid rat', but he chose to ignore that, instead focusing on creating distance between himself and his teacher. As the three of them were running, he made the mistake to look back.

"After them, Toucannon!" Kahili ordered, while holding her golf club like a spear as she prepared to throw it. And throw it she did. He didn't know how to react, since he didn't know where she had aimed. Ash felt it soon enough, as the golf glub struck the back of his knee, making him fall. "Steel Wing!"

"Lycanroc, Thunder Fang!" Ash believed that she could pull it off this time, after all the training they did to get it to work, and all the failed attempts previously. Lycanroc made a turn, dashing at Toucannon before jumping in the air. Her fang sparked as she bit down on Toucannon, electricity coursing through its body.

"Nicely done," Kahili said, walking towards him with a leisurely pace as she recalled her Pokemon. She held out her hand as she reached him. What do you say if we put an end to our game of hide and seek?"

Ash smiled at his teacher as he took the offered hand and let himself be pulled up.

* * *

He barely managed to avoid the golf club soaring over his head by ducking, as it struck something behind him.

"Damn it," Kahili muttered, picking up another golf club. "I don't think I've ever broken this many golf clubs since this training started."

"I wouldn't mind if less of them broke," Ash said, at the same time aiming a kick at Kahili's knees, which she dodged. "Those things hurt."

"Your kicks and punches hurt too, as does that thick skull of yours." Kahili countered, this time taking a more measured approach as she watched him.

The short reprieve in their fight ended as Kahili rushed him, her golf club at the ready. Ash predicted her swing, pushing it aside, followed by an uppercut to her chin. She stumbled back, but it didn't stop her from chucking a golf ball at his head. He ignored it, as it was a minor nuisance at most. Instead he focused on making sure she didn't get any time to use her golf club. That turned out to be a mistake, as Kahili swept out his leg, sending him to the ground. On pure instinct he rolled to the side the instant he hit the ground, saving his shoulder from getting stabbed by a golf club.

"You couldn't be a little more careful, could you?" Ash asked, hurrying to get back on his feet, while grinning at the same time. "Hope you can do better than that though."

"I can do much better than this," she called out, already on the move. Not reacting fast enough, she grabbed him by his collar, keeping him still as she smashed her head against his. "Do you need more convincing?"

"Don't think so." Ash tossed his hat over to Pikachu, who happily put it on his own head. Now it was his turn to take the initiative, picking up a rock on the way towards his teacher. Both of them swung their respective weapon of choice at each other, resulting in a standstill.

"Think you can go a little longer, Ash? I know I can." Kahili grinned, twirling her golf club.

"Don't think I'll be stopping anytime soon." Ash grinned right back, both of them pushing to see who would come out on top during this fight.

"Let's try it one more time before dinner, Decidueye," Ash told his flier, receiving a nod and a salute in response from Decidueye. Having moved into position, Ash plunged his hand toward the ground. "Alright, Frenzy Plant!"

"Deroo!" Decidueye hooted out, mimicking him before sweeping his wing alongside the ground, roots shooting out from the ground, until they lost all momentum and drooped like dying flowers.

"I thought this time we would be able to pull it off." Ash admitted, though not letting the failure get to him. They had only started practicing the move a few days ago, and still got two weeks left of their training.

"Hey Ash," Kahili called out, catching his attention. Spotting her, he immediately zoomed in on the two bags in her hands. "You hungry?"

About to answer, his stomach beat him to it by grumbling loudly. Ash smiled sheepishly at his teacher, placing a hand on his stomach.

"I'll take that as an yes," she laughed, walking over to their usual spot for eating and breaks in general. "Got something a little more tasty for once, since you have survived half of the training so far."

Taking the bag held out to him, Ash peered inside it, a smile lighting up his face. The kind of food that was in the bag was far better than anything he had eaten for the last two weeks.

"Are you gonna keep drooling over the food or do you actually plan on eating it?" Kahili questioned, already sitting down and digging in. "Ah, this is great. Sadly for us, it's back to the regular stuff for the remaining two weeks."

"Hey Passimian," Ash said, catching the attention of his Pokemon. "I think you can learn Close Combat."

"Simi?" Passimian tilted his head in question, as if waiting for an explanation.

"I remember how you struck the Totem Vikavolt during Sophocles' Trial with a mix of kicks and punches. If you do that, just more of it, I'm sure you would know Close Combat." Ash explained quickly, Passimian nodding along at what he was told.

"Why don't have him practice it on that rock over there?" his teacher asked, pointing at the rock she was talking about. "If he does it right, he should be able to shatter it with ease."

"You wanna give it a try?" he knew that he didn't need to ask, as his fighting-type quickly scurried to the rock.

Passi!" Passimian cried out, as he rapidly started to pummel the rock with kicks and punches. Small chunks of it were flying around, but soon it shattered under the assault. Ash and the rest of the team cheered, before all of them returned to eating in silence. The silence gave him time to think, especially about his progress. He knew he had improved a lot in the two weeks he had spent with Kahili, but it still felt lacking for him.

"Kahili," Ash spoke, her eyes snapping over to him, and her expression softening immediately at whatever she saw. "Do you think I'm improving?"

Kahili didn't say anything for a moment, only a smiling at him, instead walking over and sitting down next to him. For a second she did nothing, until she put her arm around him and pulled him close.

"Don't you worry your little head about it," Kahili said as she kept him close. "But, I do think, no, I know that you're improving. And while becoming stronger isn't gonna solve all of your problems, it'll still help."

Ash understood that. He felt stronger physically and as a trainer, with all of them improving massively under Kahili's tutelage.

"Ash, you're the kind of trainer who's clutch. When it matters the most and there's nothing else left, you'll pull through. The same thing applies to your current struggle. I know there'll be a moment when you'll figure everything out, and come out stronger than ever." she finished, rubbing his head before letting go of him.

"Thanks, Kahili," Ash responded, looking up at her as she stood up. She was grimacing for some reason. "Is something wrong?"

"You smell," Kahili noted, not dropping her grimace. "Pretty sure I'm smelling too then."

Ash lifted up his arm to see if there was some merit to Kahili's words, and had to admit there was, grimacing alongside her.

"Have I smelled like this the entire time?" he asked, returning to his food.

"No idea. I never paid any attention to. Though I think taking a bath after two weeks isn't a terrible idea," Kahili responded, now shovelling down her food, her grimace still present. "I'm glad no one else is around to care. Now, finish eating so we can get it done. I know of some springs not too far away that we can use."

* * *

"We're gonna bath at the same time?" Ash didn't know what to think of this at all. Why couldn't they simply go one at a time?

"I've no plans on this taking longer than strictly necessary. We'll clean ourselves and then get out," Kahili explained, her usual bluntness shining through. "If you got any issues with that, voice them now."

He winced a little at her tone, having to increase his pace to keep up with her.

"It's not that I got any issues with being effective, I just don't like the idea of us doing it at the same time." he tried again, stopping as she looked at him with a glint in her eyes.

"You're just embarrassed to be naked with me in the springs," Kahili stated with a cheer to her voice. Ash couldn't help but blush. "If you weren't already taken, lover boy, I'd be worried there was something wrong with me."

Nothing more was said for the rest of the walk to the strings. With towels in hand the two of them entered, the sight inside leaving Ash floored.

"There's a wall separating us!" Ash exclaimed, quickly turning on Kahili with a glare. "You just played with me!"

"Of course I did," she replied, now letting out a full blown laugh. "You should have seen your expression!"

"Let's just be done with it." Ash grumbled, going over to his side of the spring, quickly undressing before sinking into the spring. It was refreshing. He closed his eyes as he lowered until everything but his head was in the water. Simply enjoying the moment, Ash heard Kahili's footsteps from the other side.

"I'll be waiting outside, so you better hurry up!" Kahili called out, the sound of her footsteps eventually disappearing. Another moment passed, with Ash quickly submerging completely, until he decided to get out. He dried himself up with the towel Kahili had provided, pulling on his clothes that he had left in a heap.

"I didn't know how much I needed that," he said to Kahili as he left the springs, stretching his entire body. "Is this gonna be a common occurrence from now on?"

"Yes. If I had paid any attention to it, we'd have done this far earlier," Kahili clearly agreed with him. "Let's get back to our Pokemon. You still gotta survive another two weeks with me, Ash, so you better be prepared for tomorrow."

"I survived two weeks already. I'm sure I can get through another two weeks, and beat you." Ash declared, the two of them starting their walk back, very much confident in his own words, as he grinned at Kahili.

"I like the confidence. How about this? If you manage to beat me in a full battle once before the month is over," Kahili started with a grin of her own, fishing for something in her pocket, soon finding it. "You'll get this, a Flynium-Z."

She held up a Z-Crystal, the same kind as she was wearing on her Z-Ring.

"You're on," he knew how strong Kahili was. He had seen it firsthand multiple times now, but this was the kind of challenge he never backed down from. Ash knew this was where he excelled. "We'll beat you and get that Z-Crystal, be sure of it."

* * *

"Toucannon, I choose you!" Ash tossed his first pokeball in the air, releasing one of his two fliers. He watched as Kahili's hand over her pokeballs, until she confidently picked one of them. Her team was practically unknown to him, as he had only seen her use Toucannon and Skarmory.

"Let's get this done with. Crobat!" Kahili called out, throwing her pokeball high as her first Pokemon of choice took to the field. Neither did she waste any time to start. "Swift!"

"Flame Charge!" there was no doubt that Crobat was by far faster than Toucannon, so Ash knew he needed to compensate in some way to even the odds. Toucannon shot off, her body lighting up as the flames surrounded her, dodging at the same time.

"Sludge Bomb!" his opponent ordered, her arms crossed as the battle began properly.

"Counter it with Hyper Voice!" Ash shouted, immediately reacting to Kahili's grin. He had seen that kind of grin from her all too often.

"Supersonic!" Kahili's command was executed by Crobat before the attacks even collided. It zipped across the battlefield, the two previous attacks only an afterthought, before unleashing the soundwaves upon Toucannon. She screeched in pain.

"Toucannon, ignore it!" Ash tried, but it soon became obvious that she had become confused by Crobat's attack. "Damn it."

"C'mon Ash, show me that you can deal with something like this. I wouldn't want to be disappointed already by you. After all, didn't you declare you would beat me?" Kahili taunted, still grinning.

"I will!" Ash shouted, determination overtaking him, He had to trust that Toucannon would be able to snap out of the confusion that she had found herself in, though the glassy eyes still told him that she was very much confused.

"Better not give you the chance then to make that happen," she said, this time throwing out her arm she called out Crobat's next move. "Air Slash!"

* * *

"Toxic!" Kahili spat out, some blood mixed with spit coming out as she disengaged from her latest clash with Ash.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out, jumping over Kahili's leg, delivering a punch of his own to her face. There was nothing he could but watch as Pikachu took the Toxic from Mandibuzz head on, being at a distance where avoiding it was impossible.

"Nail it with Brave Bird!" she continued, not looking very pleased as she barely avoided a swing from her own golf club, that Ash had managed to take from her.

"Thunderbolt, let's go!" the raven-haired trainer commanded, Pikachu jumping up in the air, quickly charging up and releasing the bolt of electricity upon Mandibuzz, who was alight in blue, crashing into the attack. It came out relatively unharmed. "Man, that thing can take a beating."

"I would hope so, considering I trained her to do just that. Think Pikachu can outlast her with the poison in his body?" Kahili asked, holding up her hand as the two put a stop to their own fight temporarily, instead focusing on the battle between their Pokemon. "Snarl."

"Block it with Electro Ball!" Ash ordered, turning his hat backwards. He wouldn't let Mandibuzz stay on the field any longer. The two attacks collided and exploded in the air. Ash crossed his arms, his Z-Ring glowing yellow. Kahili's eyes widened. She made a desperate call.

"Brave Bird before they can attack!"

"We won't need to outlast her when we can take her down right here and now! Pikachu, let's give them everything we got! Gigavolt Havoc!"

The two of them moved in unison, a large ball of electricity forming in front of Pikachu. Trainer and Pokemon punched forward together, sending the attack flying against the incoming Mandibuzz.

* * *

Ash's eyes widened at the sight before him. Hakamo-o was evolving! All of his Pokemon resting on the sidelines cheered for their teammate.

"Ah, crap," Kahili muttered, leaning on her golf club as she watched it happen. "Of course there has to be an evolution when you happen to need it the most."

Ash could only watch as Hakamo-o grew quite a bit in size, becoming bulkier as it grew larger.

"Kommo-o!" the newly evolved Kommo-o roared out, its scales starting to quiver. A banging followed the quivering, until a few of them shot out, pelting Skarmory.

"Do you know what move that was?" Ash asked his teacher, for once wishing Rotom was around to tell him.

"Clanging Scales," Kahili answered, her gaze being piercing as she stared at the newly evolved Pokemon. "A dragon-type move only Kommo-o can learn."

"Awesome!" he noted excitedly, punching the air. "Clanging Scales again!"

Once more Kommo-o's scales went for Skarmory, but this time the attack was dodged.

"Keep your distance with Air Cutter!" she ordered, taking off her hat and running her hand through her hair. It quickly found its place on her head again. As Skarmory flapped its wings, blue blades sailed for Kommo-o.

"Destroy the blades with X-Scissor!" Ash adjusting his hat in conjunction with calling out the move, his dragon nullifying the incoming attack completely.

"Sky Uppercut, let's go!"

"Steel Wing, block it!"

* * *

 **And so it's done, my first Ancienverse oneshot of 2017. There'll be a second one before the year comes to an end, but that's for another time. If it wasn't too obvious in the story itself, this covers bits and pieces of the one month Ash trained under Kahili, with the scenes taking place rather vague amounts of time from each other, with exception of the three battle segments and the two scenes before that. I'm sure you'll recognize where things end though. So, I hope you enjoyed this oneshot, and if you got any thoughts, do please leave a review.**

 **AdvancedAlto is signing off.**


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